When the Rules Change Mid-Game: The EEOC’s New Direction and Why It Matters More Than You Think
October 2025
You know that feeling when you finally think you’ve got everything right? The policies are updated. The posters are on the wall. You’ve trained your team.
And then someone in Washington changes the rules. That’s exactly what happened this month when Brittany Bull Panuccio was confirmed as the newest EEOC Commissioner, giving Republicans a 3–1 majority on the Commission for the first time in years. If you employ people in the U.S., this is not background noise, it’s the next chapter in how equality law will be enforced.
A Quiet But Powerful Shift
This new majority doesn’t mean the EEOC is slowing down. It means it’s turning in a new direction. The spotlight is moving from systemic issues to individual ones. From broad DEI campaigns to personal rights and beliefs.
Expect sharper focus on:
“Reverse” discrimination claims brought by majority-group employees.
Religious expression and accommodation from prayer breaks to dress codes.
Intentional discrimination rather than statistical impact.
Biological sex distinctions in gender identity and pronoun policies.
Pregnancy-related accommodations, especially around reproductive health.
In short, the enforcement energy hasn’t disappeared, it’s just aimed somewhere new.
The Human Side of Compliance
We see it every week. The owner who just wanted to “do the right thing” and ended up with a complaint. The manager who approved a flexible schedule for one employee and accidentally set a precedent for ten others. The HR lead who updated their DEI statement last year and now isn’t sure if it’s compliant anymore.
None of these people were careless. They were trying to be fair. But fairness and compliance aren’t always the same thing especially when the goalposts keep moving.
What You Should Do Right Now
This isn’t about panic. It’s about staying ready.
1. Revisit your DEI messaging.
Make it about values and opportunity, not quotas or outcomes.
2. Refresh your religious-accommodation process.
You don’t need to agree with every request, but you do need a consistent way to handle them.
3. Re-examine hiring and AI tools.
Bias audits still matter, but the question has changed from “Did it disadvantage someone?” to “Was it deliberate?”
4. Tighten your documentation.
Good intentions don’t win investigations. Good records do.
5. Update your leave and pregnancy policies.
Interpretations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act are shifting fast especially in how “related conditions” are defined.
Where Employers Get Stuck
Most businesses don’t fail because they ignored the law they fail because the law changed while they were busy running the business. That’s why Lomond Legal exists. We help employers stay ahead of the shifts translating complex legal change into plain, human policies that protect your people and your profits.
And yes, we’re building tools for this exact moment. Digital resources, templates, and training built around the real challenges employers face right now not generic policies pulled off Google.
The Takeaway
The EEOC isn’t retreating. It’s re-focusing. And in that shift lies a huge opportunity for employers who prepare and a quiet risk for those who don’t. You don’t need to fear compliance. You just need to stay awake to the changes and if you are our client, we’ll make sure you do.